Inuko
by feketemacska
Summary: Kakashi always hated children, he never wanted to be a Genin squad leader and he certainly didn't care for anyone but himself. - Some people just have to be forced to do what is good for them.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1  
**

* * *

Looking up from his paperwork, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes wandered over to the plain white clock hanging on the opposite wall. _He's late. Again.  
_

The Hokage inhaled deeply. A bright red light emitted from the bowl of his pipe, before a puff of smoke escaped his half-opened mouth. Ever so slightly shaking his head, Hiruzen returned his focus to the documents on his desk.

Only a moment had passed when he felt another presence in his deserted office. As Hiruzen looked up, he wasn't surprised to find one of his faithful ANBU casually standing in the middle of the room, hip bent to one side and hands resting on either side of it. The dog-shaped mask hid the shinobi's identity, but Hiruzen knew the person in front of him all too well.

"Inuko", Hiruzen greeted with a sharp nod.

The ANBU bowed slightly. "Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen's glance wandered briefly over the boy's statue. Hadn't he been a good few inches shorter the last time they had seen each other (which, fair enough, had been some time ago)? The Hokage didn't remember his muscles being so well-defined, bearing witness to many rough training sessions among the best skilled and highest ranked shinobi that Konoha could offer.

With a mild cough, Hiruzen cleared his throat.

"I have a mission for you, Inuko. You are aware that the Chunin exams are held this week?" The ANBU nodded. "You are to escort one of the participating Genin teams to Suna and are to supervise them for the length of the tournament and then to bring them home safely."

Only a wise and experienced shinobi like Hiruzen could have noticed the uneasiness gradually radiating from his subordinate, who shifted his stance almost unnoticeably.

A few moments of silence passed, before the ANBU spoke in a hesitant voice, "Hokage-sama - I apologize if this seems like an inappropriate question to you - but why isn't their squad leader accompanying them?"

The Hokage had expected to meet some resistance on behalf of Inuko. This boy had never been one to follow orders blindly without further scrutinizing the cause. Some of the other, mostly older shinobi in Konoha regarded this behavior of Inuko's as disloyalty or sheer arrogance. Hiruzen thought else.

"Have you heard of Chikate Hiroto?"

The ANBU hesitated. "There have been rumors … that he's gone missing on his last mission. They say, his team made camp for the night and when they woke up the next morning, he was gone. Some believe, he's a traitor that went into hiding and will sell off information about Konoha sooner or later. Others assume, he went for a night stroll and came across the enemy and either got caught or killed. I think the later is more likely."

Hiruzen gave him a curious look, "What makes you think that?"

The boy shrugged, "He's the leader of the Chikate clan. Their roots run deep in Konoha's history. I don't like the idea of people like him backstabbing their friends and family."

Somewhat naïve, Hiruzen thought, but he didn't dare disagree with his inferior since he also feared the idea of having a high positioned and well trusted shinobi of Konoha change sides.

"I agree with you, Inuko", the Hokage admitted with a heavy sigh. "You see, the squad's team leader is currently … unavailable."

Without the mask covering the ANBU's face Hiruzen would have seen understanding followed by disbelief dawning on the youngster's face. The only visible reaction of the boy was a slight tilt of his chin.

"I see", he said. "Yet, I don't understand why you need an ANBU escorting them. I heard Asuma's squad is headed to Suna as well. Why don't they just go along?"

Hiruzen had picked up his pipe again. He positioned its tip in his tight-lipped mouth, inhaled deeply, held the smoke in his lungs for a long time, almost to the point where you couldn't bear it anymore, and then released the white vapor slowly.

"I don't need _any_ ANBU doing the job", Hiruzen replied patiently, "I need _you_ for this."

Before the boy could voice his confusion, the Hokage added, "Look, you don't need to understand at this point. I have my reasons and as your Hokage you should know to trust me, don't you, Inuko?"

Hiruzen could tell from the tension of his body that the boy was not at all pleased about the Hokage's decision. A little while ago Inuko's hands had tightened into fists with his knuckles protruding. Although he couldn't see it, Hiruzen knew from the dullness of Inuko's voice that the boy was grinding his teeth.

"You are to meet them at the eastern gate tomorrow morning at seven o'clock."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama."

This time Inuko didn't bow at all before turning his back to Hiruzen and exiting his office. He already felt the cool metal of the door knob under his sweaty fingers, when his superior spoke up again. Inuko turned sideways to look at the old man.

"You do understand that this is no regular mission, Inuko. Rather I am asking a favor of you – a favor that you are not supposed to turn down – nevertheless, a favor. On this mission you are not to act as an ANBU. You might need to stop by the Jonin headquarters to get a new uniform. I think your old one will hardly fit you anymore considering how long you have not been wearing it."

It wasn't the first time Hiruzen dropped a subtle hind of his impression that the boy spend way too much time hiding behind his white porcelain mask. Then again, if the boy took off said layer of anonymity, more than one other would be revealed to fill its shoes.

Inuko merely nodded his assent.

The Hokage gave him a wry look, "You are dismissed."

Sucking in another mouthful of vapor, Hiruzen picked up a file of mission reports he had worked on before the conversation. With half an ear he watched out for the familiar sound of the door being shut behind his visitor. When after a full ten seconds said noise was still expected and Hiruzen lifted his head, he found the young shinobi standing irresolutely in the door frame.

It took the boy another half-minute to make up his mind about what he wanted to say.

"If you want me to act as a substitute Genin squad leader", he said with an edge of reluctance, as though just the idea of him filling this position was the worst one could ever come up with, "then why do you keep calling me that name?"

For the first time during this conversation, Hiruzen smiled. Placing his elbows on either side of the opened file on his desk, the Hokage watched the ANBU intensely over his folded hands.

"Because I think it fits you well, Kakashi."

* * *

A/N: Just a small appetizer. Rating will go up eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Naked. That's what he felt like. Absolutely naked.

Kakashi knew it was irrational to feel both physically and emotionally exposed when really the only parts of his body that were not covered by some kind of clothing were his toes and fingertips, his wrists and the small area around his right eye. Although he was known to have the memory of an elephant, he couldn't remember the last time he had wandered around the village without his ANBU mask on even if his life depended on it.

As he slowly made his way to the meeting point, paranoia took control of him. Every single person he passed – be it a civilian or a fellow shinobi – seemed to examine him from tip to toe. It made him tug at his mask nervously, trying to cover even more of his face. His other hand was buried deep inside the pocket of his pants, which sat loosely on his narrow hips. The green flak jacket was too ugly and well-chushioned for his liking and he missed the familiar pressure of his metal arm guards.

Kakashi had always hated Konoha's shinobi uniform. When he had first graduated to the rank of chunin at the age of six, he had stuck to wearing his personal attire (not that there had been a flak jacket his size to begin with) and had done even so when he had been inaugurated as jonin a couple of years later. He did recall a time when he had come around to wearing it, but that had been shortly before joining ANBU, where he had been given a brand-new uniform all over again.

_This_ uniform was everything but form-fitting, so different from his snug, lightweight ANBU clothing.

He felt like wearing a gunny sack.

Although, he had to admit, these pants were rather comfy.

The gigantic light bulb hung so low on the horizon that Kakashi had to keep his eyes towards the ground, as he was walking steadily towards it. With one eye covered by his hitai-ate and the other almost squeezed shut, it came down to his extraordinarily sharp hearing and animal-like scent to dodge the people rushing past him in the streets.

It was still early in the morning, yet the streets were busy with people hurrying to work, taking their kids to school or buying fresh bread for breakfast. Sticking to his daily routine, Kakashi had risen early, long before the sun had shown itself on the star-spangled sky. He had spent more time getting dressed that morning, since he had trouble warming to his new dress. Then he had pulled an empty bag out from under his bed and had debated what to take on a 10-day _vacation_ to a place where there was literally nothing else to do than counting grains of sand.

Kakashi already knew that he would be terribly bored. Pacing through his single room apartment, he had collected his necessities and even thrown a book covered with a heavy layer of dust he had found on his otherwise empty bookshelf into his backpack. He recalled that it had been a gift for his eighteenth birthday from Jiraiya himself, who had handed it over to him like one would an invaluable treasure. Kakashi had thanked him profoundly, but had never bothered to even look at the title.

After having enjoyed a nutritious breakfast by simply emptying out his fridge and shoving everything into his mouth or his bag, Kakashi had dropped his key off at his neighbors, who were used to him being gone for days and weeks and checking on his apartment every once in a while. Then he had set off to the training grounds on the outskirts of town to visit the Memorial Stone, a habit that he had picked up years ago after the deaths of his two best friends and his mentor.

Like usual, Kakashi had taken his time mourning his losses, even forgetting that he had to be somewhere, some when. Only when the rising sun had painted the sky a cheerful orange and the birds were chirping him out off his miserable thoughts could Kakashi take his eyes off the weathered engravings on the monument and continue his way.

When he had almost reached the eastern gate, he could make out three small silhouettes in the distance. At first they were only black shadows against the bright sky, but the closer he came the more he could distinguish between them.

There was a girl so tiny, when standing next to her she only reached up to Kakashi's hip bone. Her black hair flowed down her back endlessly and Kakashi wondered how she could put up a proper fight with that mass of hair flying around her with every move.

The boy beside her was a full head taller than her. Except for his hair color (an odd shade of ice-blue) he looked downright ordinary.

The last member of the group, another girl, stood a few inches above the boy and Kakashi imagined she had about the right size to rest his arms on her head. Though he had never thought this to be achievable, her hair was even whiter than his own and just as messy.

Chatting excitedly about something Kakashi didn't care to know about, the three only took notice of him when he came to a stop a few feet away from them. Their conversation died at once and each of them shot him a questioning look.

Kakashi coughed awkwardly, "Yo. You're Chikate Hiroto's squad, right?"

In absence of their names, Kakashi gave each of them one of his own.

Icicle nodded hesitantly, Sugar just stared at him and Munchkin raised her neatly plucked eyebrows.

"And you are?"

"Inu – ", he covered up his slip of the tongue by faking another cough, "- Hatake Kakashi. I'm here to fill in for Hiroto."

The glare with which they regarded him grew even more suspicious.

Kakashi sighed. He already couldn't stand them.

"Alright, let's get going", he walked past them through the gate, "It's a three-day march to Suna and we're already kind of running late."

Without saying another word, the kids followed hesitantly, catching up to him eventually.

They had walked in silence for a few minutes, when Munchkin spoke to his back grumpily.

"_You_ _were_ late, by the way."

Kakashi growled inwardly. Seriously, what had the old geezer been thinking? Of all shinobi in this goddamn village to choose _him_ to babysit those brats!

* * *

When, after three days, Kakashi and his fleas reached the stone gates of Sunagakure and the air around them was even more sour than it had been when they had first met each other, they had their names checked off a list by a Suna guard and were given instructions on how to get to their hotel, Kakashi simply body flicked himself to said place.

Upon opening his eyes slowly and realizing the silence resulting from the absence of his three little butt-biters, Kakashi let out a heavy sigh of relief that made the woman at the check-in desk shoot him a bewildered look.

Kakashi had never been an overly sensitive person, but he thought it only fair to say that he had gone through _hell_ these past three days. There was no doubt left that actually Munchkin, Sugar and Icicle were the devil's children in person. All that _whining_ he had had to endure. '_When are we theeere?' … 'I'm tiiiiired!' … 'Hatake-san, we're huuuungry!' … 'Can't we slow down a bit? My feet are huuurting!'_ His ears still buzzed from the children's high-pitched voices.

An unpleasant ache was rising in Kakashi's temples. He pushed the memories of the past three days aside, only too willing to erase them from his mind completely, and approached the reception.

"Hatake Kakashi. Genin squad leader from Konoha." He tried his best not to project his foul mood onto the lady.

Telling from her wrinkling nose, he did a poor job. "Floor three, room seven", she said, handing him a plain key. "Are your students aware of the time and place of the registration?"

The woman raised her hand and pointed at a huge, colorful poster on the wall behind her. It could hardly be missed.

Kakashi had missed it.

"Uhm, I don't know … you might want to tell them again when they show up", he said, giving the receptionist an apologizing look and a cricket smile she didn't return.

Kakashi was about to turn around and head to his room when an odd feeling came over him. He inspected the poster thoroughly.

_I see._

A cruel, cattish smile played on his lips, that made the lady at the front desk turn pale and all the people he passed on his way to floor three shrink back from him.

He had almost forgotten what his purpose in Suna was. Indeed, the chunin exams in the wind country were none to be taken lightly. Some children would be traumatized for life, if they were lucky they would merely lose a limb or two.

This might get fun after all.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and follows! I didn't expect this at all!


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